Never Alone
by DropofCrimson
Summary: AU:Kagome Higurashi is the top investigator at the Chigago Police Department, but she needs help catching a serial killer. They call in Agent Inuyasha Takahashi. Can they catch the killer if they don't kill each other first? InuKag
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This is a new story that I have wanted to do for a while, and have just gotten around to do it. This is just an idea that I would like to go out on, so read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

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Never Alone

Chapter One: A Fateful Day

DropofCrimson

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In a dark alley on a Saturday night in Chicago, Illinois, two people sit quietly in a red convertible, talking softly. The person in the driver's seat is a man named Jen Taoh, one of the most evil drug lords running an underground drug ring in the dark depths of Chicago. The man in the passenger's seat is James Ken, an undercover agent for Chicago P.D.

James chats quietly with the man, talking about wanting in to the dangerous ring. He waned to make a deal with Jen, saying he could sell a large amount of cocaine for a good million if Jen would let him in. Jen smiled his evil smile, never suspecting anything, which is exactly what James wanted.

Across the road in a gray van sat Investigator Kagome Higurashi, listening in with her team on the conversation that was happening in the car. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to listen to Taoh spill his guts. She needed the location of the drug gang. She put a pair of headphones on and talked into a little microphone. "Come on James, we need that location." She glanced at the little screen that showed the face of Jen from the hidden camera located in James' shirt pocket.

Kagome heard the conversation start to escalate into a yelling match. The team members started to look nervous, some taking off their headphones and getting ready to move in, other's cocking their 9 millimeters and .38's, ready to take Jen out if it got ugly. Kagome raised a hand, trying to calm her team down, while also watching the screen. She watched in horror as she saw Jen take out a gun of his own. It was almost in slow motion. The minute she caught a glimpse of steel she turned and yelled, "Go, move in on Jen!! GO, GO, GO!!!"

Nobody waited a second as the back of the van busted open and the law surrounded the red convertible. Kagome was the last one to slide out of the van. She took out her own gun out of her waistband and pulled the hammer back. Only then did she realize that instead of an undercover operation, this had turned into a nasty hostage situation.

Kagome glared at Jen with all the hatred she could muster, and if looks could kill, Jen would already be six feet under. Jen glared back and yelled, "If you come any closer, I'll blow his brains out, and don't think I won't do it!!" James stared at Kagome wide-eyed, begging with his eyes to get him out of here.

Kagome put down her weapon in surrender and told her team to back up and do the same. Jen opened the driver's side door and dragged James out there with him by his hair, Jen having his gun rest at James' temple the whole time. Kagome watched him with her eyes as he slithered down the sidewalk, grinning an evil grin, knowing he had won.

"You shouldn't have messed with me wench, and now your gonna pay." His eyes danced between James and Kagome, laughing the whole time. Kagome gritted her teeth, her blood boiling at the sight of him. Only one thought went through her mind, '_I am not losing my partner.' _Before Jen and James rounded the corner, Kagome pulled a gun from her side holster, and shot two bullets into Jen's left arm; the one holding the deadly revolver. Thankfully, Jen's finger was not on the trigger when Kagome had fired. When Jen screamed in pain, James took the chance and grabbed his right arm from behind and pinned him down.

After Jen was secured, the team went in and handcuffed him. Kagome came up to him while James and another officer dragged him up. She looked him right in the face and said, "I think you're the one who's going to pay."

Jen lunged at her, but James held him back. Jen snarled at Kagome, while she just smirked at him, knowing she had finally brought down the famous drug lord in his mad cocaine spree. Kagome exhaled slowly; nothing like catching a criminal in the dark of night to get the blood going. She smiled slightly as she walked up to James. "Hey, are you alright?"

James looked up at her when he heard the note of concern in her voice. "Of course I am. Build like a rock." He beat his chest like a gorilla to make his point. Kagome smiled in relief.

James had been Kagome's partner ever since she had joined the academy. That was four years ago. Back then, she was a tough 21 year old, and had always wanted to join the force ever since she could remember. All her friends wanted to be doctors, actors, famous writers, or artists, but not her. She had always wanted to be an officer of the law, and always knew that she would be one. James had been in the force for 15 years already, and knew the ropes, so he had decided to take her under his wing. Now four years later, Kagome was one of the top investigators in Chicago, and she was damn proud of it. Now at the age of 25 she had her own apartment, own car, and her own post in the Chicago P.D.

James was now 45 had a wife and three kids. Kagome had been over many times for 4th of July gatherings and Christmas get-togethers. His family was very loving, and made her feel more than welcome. She appreciated that love, since most of her family now lived back in Japan. Kagome was born and raised in Chicago, but her family decided to move to Japan and take care of the family shrine. She missed them, but James and his family made it a little easier.

She walked James to the police car that was carrying Jen to the jailhouse. James put his arm around Kagome's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Thanks for saving me tonight Kag's." She smiled at the nickname. "Oh, don't mention it. It's all part of the job." He pouted at her words. "Is that the only reason you save my life?" Kagome rolled her brown honey eyes. "No, I also saved your life because I didn't feel like finding a suitable enough partner for myself." James smiled his crinkled smile. "You can't live without me." He opened the driver's side door of the police vehicle and slid in. Jen glared at the back of his head the whole time. James rolled down the window and stuck his head out. "See you bright and early, Higurashi."

She smiled in her sarcastic way. "Oh yeah, bright and early. And if you even think about calling me with one of your morning wake up calls, I'll pour your good for nothing hazelnut coffee down your Armani pants."

James laughed and drove off toward the station, while Kagome walked the few blocks to her apartment.

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Kagome wiped off the steam n her bathroom mirror. She gazed at her reflection; her skin red form a good scrubbing, her ebony hair shiny and clean, and unfortunately, the dark circles underneath her eyes from lack of sleep. She sighed and picked up her brush to comb through her wet hair.

This case with Jen Taoh had taken a lot out of her. But then again, that was with every case. When Kagome was given a new case that was what she ate, slept and breathed. She would put all her strength into one case until it was solved. Many officers called her a crazy workaholic, and that she needed to take a break. Well, she didn't think so. There was just something about putting a criminal behind bars that made her feel incredible. It gave her a feeling that she couldn't explain, but she loved every minute of it.

She picked up that hair dryer and dried her hair until it was completely straight. She walked into her bedroom and put on a baggy shirt and sweatpants and walked back to her kitchen. Her apartment wasn't very big, but it suited Kagome just fine. It was a two bedroom, one bath with a cozy kitchen and nice living room with a coffee table and television set sitting on a good size entertainment center. But there was only one thing that made her decision on choosing this particular apartment, and that was her view.

She had a small balcony with a patio table and chairs that looked out on the bright city lights. She couldn't count the many times she had gone out there to think. Kagome fixed herself a cup of hot tea and slid her balcony door open. She stepped out onto the small ledge, feeling the cold concrete beneath her bare feet. This was her safe haven. Whenever she had problems, she would come out here and ponder over them. Kagome pulled out a plastic chair from underneath the table and sat down with her steaming cup of tea.

As she sipped she thought about the undercover job she had done that evening. She was glad that nothing had happened to James. What James had said was true. She wouldn't have been able to move on without him, with all the things they both had gone through. She had already lost someone special in her life.

Kagome frowned as she thought of her late father.

Her father had been on the force ever since she was born. He would always play around with her and her little brother Souta when he wasn't off doing a case or working routine traffic stops. Kagome took another sip as she thought of that fateful day when her father didn't come home. A day she would never forget.

A twelve-year-old Kagome and a seven-year-old Souta were playing around the beautiful Christmas tree. It was December 24, and the Higurashi family is waiting for the head of the family to come home from work. The two youngest members of the family were ready to open there Christmas Eve presents and to sing carols with their father. He was a little late, but the family did not worry. Since he was the chief investigator, they were used to him being a half an hour late. Unfortunately, this night was not a normal night.

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_Kagome sat next to the fireplace, looking at the nativity scene. She reached inside the wooden stable and drew out the little baby Jesus, studying his beautiful panted face. She smiled and placed it between her hands and prayed for her father to come home soon. _

_Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and both children ran to the door expecting to see their father's smiling face. But they both were disappointed not their father, but another officer at the door, smiling down nervously at the two children. Kagome took a step back with a worried face and yelled to her mother, "Mama, there's someone here to see you." Seeing this police officer standing at her door made Kagome shudder._

_Her mother glided through the room with a big smile on her face, until she saw the officer for herself at the door with his hat in his hands, staring at her with sad eyes. Kagome watched her mother wring her hands around the dishtowel she was holding on to like a lifeline. Her mother slowly walked to the door and smiled a nervous smile. "Hello John, what can I do for you?" The named John walked into the foyer, playing with his cap. _

"_Hello Reina. Merry Christmas." He smiled a small smile. Kagome just wanted him to tell her where her father was so she could go see him. She didn't like this one bit. _

"_I know its Christmas Eve Reina…but I have some bad news." Kagome's blood ran cold when she heard the words that came out of his mouth. She looked down at her little brother who was playing with his Hot Wheels cars. He suddenly looked up at his big sister, and looked at his mother and saw tears start to fall from her eyes. He slowly got up with his cars still in his little hands and ran to his mother. _

"_Mama, when is daddy getting home?" That simple question was all his mother could take before she busted out in tears and dropped onto the floor. John reached down and tried to comfort her, while Souta started crying because he didn't know what was going on. Kagome grabbed her brother and took her to her room. Souta quickly grabbed his sister and hugged her. "Kagome, what's going on? Where's daddy?" _

_Kagome stared down at her little brother, who was so young and didn't deserve to go through this. But then again, neither did she. She looked into her brother's tear stained face while a silent tear rolled down her own check. "Souta…daddy's not coming home tonight." Kagome saw a little gleam of hope in his eyes. "So, he will be coming tomorrow?" Kagome slowly shook her head. "No Souta, he's never coming back." _

_Souta pushed Kagome away in shock. "No. You're lying!! Daddy is coming back." Kagome grabbed him again when he tried to run away. "No Souta, Daddy is dead. He is never coming back!" Souta stared in her eyes, and then realized that she was telling the truth. "NOOO!!!!" Souta feel in Kagome's arms and Kagome held on to him with all her might. When she squeezed him she realized that she still had the little baby Jesus figurine in her hand. She stared into His perfect porcelain face, and closed her hand back around the baby, and bowed her head and cried. Only one thought came into her head over and over again. 'Why did You take my daddy?'

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_

Kagome wiped away a tear from her cheek and sipped her now lukewarm tea. She found out from her mother that her father had been shot during a routine traffic stop, and was shot four times in the chest. Just because some punk didn't want a speeding ticket, he now has a life sentence. His funeral was two days after Christmas. Throughout the years that followed, Kagome kept asking God why He had taken somebody so precious away from her? She had been so angry for years about her father's death, that when she found out how he had died, she wanted to go out and kill the mad man who had shot her father slowly, _very slowly._

Until she realized that all of her anger was not going to bring her father back, and she knew that's not what her father would have wanted. He would have wanted her to be happy in her life. So she asked forgiveness, and God gave it to her, taking her back without any questions.

She smiled at the thought, and turned to look at the old, worn out Bible on the patio table. She placed her cup on the table and slid over to herself. She turned to the first page and read the contents: _To Kagome, The Light of my Life. Love Daddy_

Even though they came from Japanese decent, her parents embraced the Christian religion and Kagome was thankful for it. Kagome picked up the Bible and brought it inside and placed it in the middle of her coffee table. She had left outside on accident when she was last out there, which was only a few days ago. She lightly traced the letters on the top of the Holy Bible and sighed in contempt. She walked back into the kitchen and rinsed out her dirty teacup and placed it in the drainer. Then, making sure the door was locked, stretched her arms above her head and walked into her bedroom.

She climbed under the Egyptian cotton sheets, a gift from her mother, and set her clock for a disgusting 5:30 in the morning. As she drifted off to sleep, Kagome couldn't help but think, '_I wonder if anything interesting will happen tomorrow?'

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Well, tell me your thoughts and ideas, but no flames please. Thanks so much and God bless!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been gone so long. So many things have happened to me in the past months. My seven-year-old cousin just died and we went to his funeral. I'm waiting for college applications to come back, and I'm under a lot of stress right now. But now I am better, so just pray for me. Anyway, enough about me, lets get back to the story. Inuyasha hasn't showed up yet, but I promise that he will be in the next chapter. Enjoy, and please review!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and I never will. So there. 

Never Alone

Chapter 2

DropofCrimson

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Kagome was awakened the next mourning by the most annoying sound in the world: her alarm clock. Her eyes shot open and adjusted to the red glow of the numbers reading 5:30. As she slowly lifted her head from her pillow, she glared at the evil invention that had just awakened her from her island getaway with Antonio Banderas. Her lips were not even three centimeters away from his when her alarm clock woke her. 

She lifted the clock and threw it across the room, landing across the floor with a slight thud. She took the pillow and placed it over her head, trying to get a little more sleep before she had to go to the department. But her beautiful dream would not come back to visit any time soon, so she punched her pillow, and stomped over to her bathroom to get ready.

She turned on the radio to her favorite station, while she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She had never got into the hang of putting that much makeup on. The only type she had time for was a little eyeliner and mascara. She ran her fingers through her long, black tresses, and took a hair band and tied her hair into a tight ponytail. She dressed into a blouse and faded jeans, grabbed her keys and walked out of her apartment while still trying to slip her shoes on. She got into her baby; her silver 2004 Ford Taurus. It wasn't anything luxurious, but it was exactly what Kagome wanted.

She drove to the nearby Starbucks to get her usual cappuccino and chocolate chip cookie. It wasn't much of a breakfast, but its what kept her going during the day.

She walked in and smiled as she saw Joe working the counter. Ever since she had become a cop, Joe had been her smiling face in the morning. She couldn't count the many times she had walked into Starbucks with a frown on her face from a rough night, and Joe had always made her laugh with one of his crazy jokes.

When Joe saw Kagome walk in, a smile broke out on his own face. He walked form behind the counter and gave Kagome a warm embrace. Kagome hugged him back, smelling the rich, coffee smell on his clothes.

They pulled back and Joe walked back behind the counter, already reaching for a cup to make her usual order. "So, how is everything, Kagome?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "Well, I finally caught the underground drug lord of Chicago." Joe snickered. He knew all about the two weeklong investigation, and was glad to see that she was back to her old self again.

"About time. It thought you would never catch this guy." Kagome gave him a playful glare. "Oh, so you actually doubted my work. That assures me 100 how you have so little faith in me." Joe winked at her and handed her her French vanilla cappuccino and giant chocolate chip cookie. "You'll get over it. You always do."

Kagome snatched the items from him and threw a ten at him. She glared as best as she could without smiling. "Keep the change you jerk." She spun on her hill and stomped towards the door, hearing the sound of Joe's laughter in the background.

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Kagome sipped her drink as she drove down to the Chicago police department. She was right in the middle of morning traffic. She hated working on Sundays. Even though it was one Sunday out of the month, she still didn't have to like it. She'd rather be at her local church then at work, singing with the chorus, or reading scripture, but she had to be at a department that smelled like old cheese. How exciting. 

Kagome turned in on West 35th street toward the big white building that was her second home. She pulled into her parking spot, now reserved, and shut the engine off. She took the keys and slipped them in her pocket, and grabbed her breakfast as she got out of her car.

As she walked in, she was met with a flurry of movement, with people dropping off case folders, or picking up files from the mountains of work on everyone's desk. She waved to people as she passed, on her way to her own nice little office in the very back of the building. As she walked past the break room, she caught a glance with James and smiled at him laughing with his long time friends, Philip and John, over a cup of coffee.

She slipped into her room and laid down her purse and jacket while still trying to scarf down her cookie breakfast. She sat down in her swivel chair and relaxed a little by propping her feet on her desk. She looked around her tiny, but homey office. There was no door, only a little archway that is the threshold to her quaint 'abode'. She had a standard computer desk and phone, with a giant fax machine that took up half the room. But it was the different pictures that were on her desk and walls that made it Kagome's office.

She had pictures of her mother and brother on her desk, and her big, fat cat named Buyo, the unofficial member of the family. On her walls were different pictures from different sides of the world. One was from Japan, made to look like a flowered Kimono opening up to find a young women kneeling in front of a great tree, bowing her head and praying. On the other side of there was a picture of Jesus, with His fingers threaded together and His chin resting on the backs of His hands. His eyes stared out at you, almost like He was looking into your soul. Kagome smiled softly at the picture, in as much peace as she could ever be.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a tapping sound from the side of the arched doorway, and looked up to find James leaning against the frame with a pile of paperwork in his hands. When he gave her an apologetic look, Kagome moaned and banged her head against her desk. James's light chuckle caused her to giggle herself. She looked at the stack of paper work and prayed that a black hole would miraculously show up and swallow this mountain. She looked up at James who gave her a sympathetic look.

"This is the only downfall to cracking a case. The work that's involved." Kagome laughed at that. "Amen to that brother."

As James walked out, a call was made to her on line 3. Kagome yawned and picked up the sleek phone and pressed the button to line 3. "Higurashi."

The voice on the other line was a fellow investigator, named Rick. "Hey Kag's, how are you today?" Kagome smiled over the phone. "Depends, what do you have for me?"

"I got a homicide investigation for you."

Kagome leaned forward in her seat. These were the cases that made Kagome's skin crawl. She took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had a homicide case. "Alright, tell me the coordinates." She got a pad and pen and wrote the location of the crime scene. She thanked Rick, grabbed her keys to her squad car, tracked down James, and walked out the door to head to their new destination.

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"So where is it?" James was in the drivers seat, cruising down Warren Boulevard. "It's on North Avenue, right next to the Humboldt Park." James nodded and turned left on Western Avenue, a straight shot. Before they made it, that already saw the many squad cars lining up on the side of the road, with the yellow police tape around the perimeter. Kagome and James got out, showed their badges, and were escorted into the run down apartment building. She followed the police officers into room 5D on the second floor. When the officer opened the door, Kagome was met with a massacre. 

She had to use all of her strength not to shield her eyes from the scene in front of her. There was blood…everywhere.

It covered the walls and soaked the carpet; so much so that every time she took a step, there was a sickening squish that almost made her vomit. There were signs and symbols painted on the walls in the victim's blood. She saw an officer snap a photo of the horrific scene. James awakened her from her daze, and pushed her forward. She followed the cop into the bedroom where the body was located. Of all the rooms in the apartment, this was above all the worst.

The overpowering smell of urine and blood mixed in this room hit Kagome's nose with a vengeance. She actually had to lean against James until she could get her bearings again.

It wasn't until she had control of herself that she noticed that someone was already in there. When this person turned around, Kagome saw that it was Sango, her best friend, and the medical examiner for the city morgue. Kagome smiled at Sango, and Sango smiled attentively back.

The cop next to Kagome gave her and her partner a pair of gloves and walked out of the room with a look of disgust on his face. Kagome walked around to the end of the bed and stared at the young body, whose torso was lying on its chest. It was naked, and lying in a very sexual position with her legs spread apart in an awkward position. Kagome glanced up at Sango who was taking photographs with a digital camera. Kagome walked over the dirty clothes and candy wrappers to get over to Sango.

"Not a very happy reunion, huh?" Sango glanced at Kagome and shook her head. "Not at all. This could be one of the most gruesome homicides I have seen in my five years of work." Kagome nodded her head in agreement. Kagome leaned over to get a closer look at the body, and starts making notes on the victim. The first thing that Kagome notices is that the head was cut clean off her head, her blood making a gigantic swimming pool out of her bed.

She looked around the bedding and underneath sheets, but she couldn't find the decapitated head. "Sango, where's the skull of the victim?" Sango gave her a pained expression and pointed to her right. Kagome glanced up and saw a maple wood bookcase against the wall. In the center of the bookcase, there was the victim's head with its eyes wide open, staring right at her.

Kagome was startled and actually had to look away. James came up beside her to take a look, and Kagome watched as his brown eyes formed the shape of saucers. Kagome took a step closer and found out that the eyelids had been stapled to her head so that they couldn't close. Kagome closed her eyes and looked away. James took the hint and dragged her outside. He looked closely at her face with concern. "Kagome, are you ok?"

Kagome opened her eyes and looked into James's face. "I have never lost my cool in a case, and I'm not going to now." James stared into Kagome's determined face and nodded. He knew Kagome would never back down, so he let her back into the room.

As soon as James had stepped inside, a group of uniformed men came in to sweep the room. Kagome went back over to the bed next to Sango. "Do we know who this girl it?" Sango pulled a wallet out of the bag held for evidence. She opened it up to show a driver's license with a very attractive girl printed on the small piece of plastic. "Yura Nobu, age 20, November 23, 1986." Kagome stared at the smiling face, and then glanced at the head, now being put into a black bag by one of the officers. Kagome put the license into the wallet and put it back into the evidence bag. Kagome then turned towards the body on the bed. "Do we know the murder weapon?" Sango held up a pair of the victim's pantyhose. "Killer strangled her with them. All we know about the decapitation was that it was done with a large blade, like an ax. Nothing was found to fit that description."

Kagome looked down at the body, and noticed strange holes in the victim's back. "Sango…are these cigarette burns?" Sango looked down herself to look at the strange markings. "Yes, I'm afraid so." Kagome turned around and looked on the floor, looking under beds and around chairs. Sango looked down at Kagome. "Kag's, what are you doing?" Kagome brought her head out from under an inn table. "Looking for evidence." She scoured the room, trying to her treasure, but came up with no luck, and no cigarette.

We weren't dealing with a crime of passion; we are dealing with a pro. No fingerprints had been found, no DNA at all, which surprised Kagome. Not even a hair that could lead to a suspect could be found.

Three hours had past and not one scrap of forensic evidence had been save. Sango had informed her that the girl had not been sexually assaulted as we had thought, which was another surprise for Kagome as well. We were dealing with a sick person, and just the thought of it made Kagome's hair stand on the back of her neck.

The thing that puzzled Kagome the most was the markings on the walls. They weren't any markings she had ever seen. Hands in her pockets, she stared at the wall with the symbols staring back. '_The almost look demonic, the way they are smeared in all directions.'_ She thought of someone in the occult, or some perverted demonic rituals.

She also thought of what the murderer was like, and how he lived. As a child he probably lived in a troubles home, and got off torturing little animals when he was a kid. But only one thought blazed through her mild like wildfire. _'How could one human being be so evil?"_

Kagome was in a daze the whole way home. James had dropped her off in the squad car, promising to pick her up in the mourning since she had left her car at the station. She was now in her silky pajamas with a glass of diet coke sitting at the table with a bag of Oreos in her arms. She never usually did this; only with the really emotionally scaring cases.

The file was strewn across her living room carpet in unrecognizable piles. This was her usual nightly routine with a brand new case.

When she drained the last of her coke and had finished off the Oreo cookies, she left the mess of paperwork on the floor and strutted off to bed. She'd wake up early and deal with it then, but now was time for sleep. She pulled back the sheets and fluffed her pillows before she lay down. She set the alarm for 4 AM and shut her eyes, asleep in no time.

* * *

_Kagome walks through the long hallways of her former childhood home. '_What am I doing here?' _Kagome thought. She walked by a mirror, and had to do a double take. She was…small again. She touched her face, trying not to panic. Then, she heard a strange noise. She looked back down the hallway, and started walking towards the living room. There, in the middle of the floor, was a man with his back towards her. She was confused at first, but then realized that it was her father. A smile bloomed onto her face as she ran towards the man, but when he turned around, her smile went away in a flash as she realized this man wasn't her father. She stared into his deep, black eyes, and screamed.

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_

Kagome woke with a start, sitting up in bed and knocking her alarm clock on the floor. She put her hands to her face and swiped up the sweat that was beaded on her forehead. She bent down and picked up her alarm clock. It was 3:30 in the morning. She moaned and placed it back on her dresser. She slowly got up, and walked into her living room, noticing the papers strewn around.

She ran her fingers through her hair, and sat down on the floor. As soon as she had a black pen in her hand, the phone rang. She jumped and dropped the pen, running over to the kitchen to get the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Kagome, its James."

Kagome wiped her sleepy eyes. "Yeah, James, what's up?" James sighed on the other end. "We've got another one."

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So, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading and God bless 

DropofCrimson


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the very long wait, but so many things have happened, like getting a new car, being accepted to college, mission trips, senior trips…you get the picture. I know you've been waiting for this and I just want to thank **InuyashaLover167, Avelyn Lauren, midnight-haired temptress **and **JWJ.** Thank you so much for reviewing. It meant a lot to me. Now, this chapter does introduce Inuyasha into the picture so I hope you enjoy this chapter, and God bless!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

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Never Alone

Chapter 3

DropofCrimson

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Kagome yawned loudly as she got out of he squad car with James following right behind her. The minute Kagome had hung up the phone, she grabbed a pair of rumpled jeans, a button up shirt and sneakers, and was headed out the door, waiting for the familiar sight of the blue and red lights of the squad car. Kagome walked underneath the yellow police tape to the mobile home in front of her. She showed the officer at the door her badge, and walked into the homey little hallway that turned into and even homier kitchen.

But that's where the good feelings stopped. For the minute you step into the bright florescent lights of the small dining area, your stomach drops like a ton of bricks.

Blood covered everything.

The dining room table was the stage of this bloody play, and Kagome wanted to find out who was given the lead.

The body of the women was on her back, and her legs were made up with her feet pressed together, and her hands on her chest. And again, her head had been decapitated. Kagome grimaced as she glanced at the neck bone that was sticking out of her gaping hole where her head had once been. She turned around to go towards the living room when James blocked her.

"Are you sure you can handle this? You don't look so good." Kagome closed her eyes, and swallowed the lump in her throat that refused to go away. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, ok?" Kagome smiled a small smile, James giving her one in return. She then noticed that James had turned awfully pale. "Hey, are you ok?"

James turned from her and headed towards the living room. "Yeah, couldn't be better." Kagome was going to argue, but she just brushed it off and promised herself to ask him later. The minute they walked into the living room they were greeted by the disgusting display of the same markings smeared in blood across the walls. _'We've got a serial' _was all Kagome could think at that moment. James slowly came beside her and put his hands on her shoulder. "Kag's, we found the skull…and it's not a pretty sight." Kagome sighed. "It never is."

He directed her toward one of the love seats on the far right side of the living room, and was frozen in her place. There was the head, sitting between two pillows on the blue love seat, its blood spreading like a red river. It was smiling hideously up at Kagome, with the same wild eyes as the girl from yesterday. Kagome felt a chill go up and down her spine.

The lips were spread apart by what looked to be staples that were holding the lips back over the teeth, and her eyes her stapled open as well. The whole scene was mortifying.

"I won't be able to sleep a wink for days." James said, wide eyed beside Kagome. The young detective herself was trying very hard to keep it together. She wanted to drop to her knees and pry to God for these girls, but most of all, she wanted to cry. Cry for everything that had happened the past two days.

Kagome inhaled slowly and exhaled, moving over to grab a black evidence bag. She put her latex gloves on and carefully took the head, trying desperately and failing miserably not to look into the girls deep brown eyes, and placed it into the black bag. She knew that no matter how many times she would close her eyes she would see the two girls faces.

Kagome stood back up and handed the bag to one of the uniformed officers. She turned and faced James with a determined look. "James, do we know the name of this girl?" James handed her the information. "We have the girls driver's license from her wallet. Her name is Nazuna Taka. She works at the Pendragon, a local club. She's 21 years old, and lives alone."

Kagome flipped through the pages, trying to find any unusual evidence. "Have we gotten the information from the girl yesterday. Where she works, who she hangs out with?" James handed her another file of papers. "Yeah, and we found something that links the two girls." Kagome stopped flipping pages and looked up expectedly at James. "They work at the same club."

Kagome nodded and smiled, glad that they finally had something to follow up on. Kagome's smile then turned into a determined smirk, and James knew that Kagome was in work mode. "I need the phone records from both girls, cell phone and home phone. Contact the family members of Nazuna and her co-workers. Whenever the Pendragon opens their doors, we're going to pay them a little visit." James nodded.

"We already know that the Pendragon only opens at night and closes in the morning. Strictly night club." Kagome nodded slowly, disappointed that they couldn't go in the morning without a search warrant. "Alright, lets get to work."

* * *

_9:00 AM_

_New York, New York_

FBI Headquarters

* * *

"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you?" A young man looked up at the agent across from him and glared. "I don't know what you're talking about?" The man across from him got up out of his chair and laughed. He took a file from the side of the table and opened it. He took many pictures from the file and started to slowly place them on the table in front of the accused criminal.

The pictures held the horrific images of a murder that had taken place seven months ago in Brooklyn. It was of an elderly woman, completely defenseless in her old age. The guy had robbed and rapped her and strangled her with an old shirt. The FBI agent hated people like this, and that's why he couldn't wait to get this maniac behind bars.

Once all the pictures were strewn across the table, the agent sat back down and stared down the dirt bag. "You thought you had everything down, and that nothing would be tied back to you. You almost got away with it." The man accused glared back, not saying a word. "You know, its funny. Before I became an agent, I actually had sympathy for you fools. But now I have no idea why." The agent carefully leaned forward and placed his hands onto the table, intertwining his fingers together.

"You knew that she was defenseless, and knew she had a lot of cash on her, because you watched her and knew her routines. You knew she would go to the supermarket at approximately 8:00 pm, and would be back around 10:00. When she was opening the door of the apartment, you barged into the room and rapped her." The man in front of the agent just stared blankly at the wall.

"You then strangled her with her own t-shirt and robbed her. After you played your hellish game, you showered and cleaned up the scene, making sure nothing could be found." The suspect took a long drag of his cigarette that had been offered to him by the agency, his hand shaking. The agent slowly rolled back his chair and stood up. "I'm going to give you some time to think, and maybe you'll have the balls to tell the truth for once."

The agent walked out into the small room behind the two-way mirror with two other agents waiting for the confession. "You know Inuyasha, maybe if you actually try to interrogate the kid you might get somewhere." The agent with dark hair tied in a rat-tail said as he sipped his morning coffee. He was answered with a slap to the back of the head and his hazelnut cream running down his favorite purple shirt. As he cursed and sputtered, Inuyasha helped himself to one of the stale pastries and coffee that was sitting on the table in the back of the room.

"We've got this guy Miroku. We have his semen and hair samples, and now we've got his saliva." He pointed at the cigarette the kid was smoking. The second agent in the room spoke up. "If only he would confess it would be a lot easier on himself and us. This case will finally be closed." Inuyasha nodded, and swallowed down a second pastry. "He'll crack Shippo and then we can all go home happy, rookie." Shippo grunted at the nickname that both gave him, being that it was only his first year on the agency. Miroku stretched his legs and got up, adjusting his holster into a more comfortable position. "I think we've let him suffer enough. Go back in and bury the hatchet. I want to go home." Inuyasha threw the rest of his coffee in the trash. "You and everyone else on this case."

He slowly opened the door and walked back in, glaring at the punk who had caused him too many sleepless nights. "Look Patrick, we have your semen and we have your hair. We know you were there. We have an eyewitness and a rap sheet a mile high. So stop lying dammit, and confess!!"

Patrick was trembling so much so that the table was shaking along with him. Tears slowly streamed down his face, and Inuyasha knew that he had him.

* * *

Kagome sat at her computer, trying desperately to keep her eyes open. She had been up all night writing the reports on both cases. James had been a big help, and she was glad that he was her partner. As she was typing more files into the computer, she heard a knock on her door. She glanced up to see the police chief standing in her open doorway. She stopped her work and smiled. "Hey chief, how are you?"

Chief Bartlett walked into her tidy office. He was a stout man of five seven with a baldhead and a scrunched up face. He had been at Chicago P.D for about twenty years. He might have looked mean, but when you get past that rough exterior he was really a great guy to get to know.

He smiled roughly at Kagome, and sat in one of her plush chairs sitting across from her desk. "I'm doing fine Kagome. How is the case going?" Kagome yawned before she could say anything and looked at him with glassy eyes. "I'm doing as good as could be expected when I've only had two hours sleep, but besides that I'm just peachy." The chief smiled lazily at Kagome, while she glared back at the computer screen.

Chief Bartlett's smile slowly slid off his face after a moment. "Actually Kagome, this is not just a friendly visit. I have some things to talk about." His tone made Kagome snap her eyes back up to his face. "Chief, what's going on?" He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm afraid that for this serial case I'm going to have to take James off of it." Kagome shot out of her seat.

"What?! No, you can't do that. I need James to be my partner on this. We've been together ever since I became an investigator. How could you take him off this case?" The chief got up at eye level and looked Kagome in the eye. "Kagome, I know how much you care for James, but I think it would be better if James set this one out." Kagome couldn't believe this was happening. "Could you give me a legit reason why you are taking him off the case." Bartlett looked pained to tell her what was going on. "Kagome, have you noticed James being tired when you're with him?" Kagome stubbornly ignored the question. "What does that have to do with anything?" He answered him with another question. "Have you noticed he looks paler than usual or shaky in any way?"

Kagome's head spun with all those questions. She sat in her chair and started to think about what she had been asked. She suddenly thought back to that time when she had asked him about him being pale, but he had just walked away. And then she began remembering other such times when he had to sit down, or when he would write reports his hands would shake. Kagome glanced back up at Bartlett with curious eyes. "I have noticed that he's been tired and pale, but with the last few days, who wouldn't be."

Bartlett shook his head, which gave Kagome a dreadful feeling. "Kagome I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I have no choice." He leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "About ten years ago, James was diagnosed with cancer in one of his kidneys." Kagome sat still, digesting what she just heard. When she didn't say anything, Bartlett went ahead.

"He fought it for a while, going through chemotherapy and many other treatments, until finally going into remission. He then came back on the force, which was about the same time you came on the force, and you two became partners." Bartlett looked up at Kagome, waiting for a response. She swallowed, and then finally spoke. "Why didn't he ever say anything to me all of these years. I was his partner and I deserved to know." Bartlett looked at Kagome sympathetically.

"He didn't want to worry you about it. After all, he was in remission at the time and he saw no point in letting you fuss over him." Kagome caught on to the one work that stood out to her. "'Was' in remission?" The chief dropped his eyes to the floor in sadness. "He has been to the doctor for his annual checkup, and they have found that the cancer has returned. Only this time, it is in his liver."

Tears started welling up in Kagome's eyes, slowly sliding down her face. "Why didn't he tell me? He could have at least told me what was going on. He should have let me know so I wouldn't work his so hard." She got up and made for the door. "Where is he? I want to go talk to him right now." Before she made it out, Bartlett stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Kagome, he's not here." Kagome stopped fighting and turned towards her supervisor. "What do you mean? Where is he?"

But Kagome didn't have to have an answer to know where he was. Dread hit her hard, and she would have collapsed if it hadn't have been for Bartlett. "Kagome? Kagome are you alright?" She blinked her eyes several times before she regained her vision. She breathed slowly, and her lightheadedness went away after a couple moments.

Kagome stood up straight and tried to regain control of her emotions. She looked back at her chief for an explanation. "Kagome, he is in the hospital right now, and they are prepping him for surgery to put a shunt in his chest for the chemotherapy to be injected in. He won't be at work until he is feeling better, which by what his family was telling me, won't be for a long time." Kagome hardly believed what she was hearing. Her partner James, who was her rock in so many ways, had cancer. She couldn't believe that this strong man who had been her father figure ever since she had known him, was slowly crumbling away.

She felt hurt and betrayed, but more than anything, she felt fear. Fear for James, for his family and for herself. She didn't even want to think about him not being with her. She wiped the tears from her eyes before they could spill over. "When can I see him, chief?"

"Tomorrow. He didn't want you to see him after surgery, since it won't be a pretty site." Kagome nodded mutely, and turned back to her desk. "Well…I guess I better get back to work." She sat down and turned towards her computer. "Kagome, I also wanted to talk to you about a new part-"

"Chief, this is really not the best time to be talking about a new partner right now. Please, I just need some time alone." Bartlett nodded, and slowly walked out. Kagome sat quietly in her swivel chair and started typing out the repots that she had been working on. But images of James lying on that hospital bed, looking fragile and weak made Kagome stop what she was doing. She kept telling herself over and over again that she had to be strong. But in the end, a horrible sob came out and she dropped on her knees and prayed to God that everything would be ok.

* * *

"You know, I have to give it to you Inuyasha. I didn't think that kid would crack so fast." Miroku gave Inuyasha a pat on the back and waved the bar tender over to give them both another drink. Inuyasha smiled and sipped his beer. Patrick Smith had finally broken down and confessed that he had done it, giving the family and Inuyasha peace of mind. The sentencing would be in a couple of weeks, and since he confessed he would get about ten years, convicted of first-degree murder.

Shippo was also having a good time, with this being his first case solved. He was with the other officers drinking and having a good time. "Well Miroku, that just shows how little faith you have in me right?" Inuyasha turned towards Miroku, only to find that he wasn't even paying attention to him. He was staring at the busty brunette sitting next to him, using one of his lines that had become legendary.

"Hey baby. You know the alphabet is messed up? Yeah, U and I should be together." Inuyasha tried not to laugh as he saw his best friend make a total fool of himself. "Would you consider bearing my children?"

There it was. The line that always caused more bruises then numbers. He watched as Miroku was slapped, the sound echoing throughout the bar, making everyone turn in there general direction. Everyone watched as the girl stormed out of the bar, and Miroku fall to the floor, holding his cheek with a smirk on his face. "She's crazy about me."

Miroku got up off the floor and asked the bar tender for another drink. Inuyasha just shook his head. "Maybe you've had too much." Inuyasha tried to grab the drink that was being offered, but Miroku took it before he could. "Calm down man. I'm perfectly fine." Inuyasha noticed his slurred speech and glassy eyes and knew better, but he just ignored it. He drained the rest of his drink, put down some money to pay for his and Miroku's drinks, and walked over to Shippo.

"Listen, I want you to keep an eye on Miroku, and take him home before he gets completely plastered, alright?" Shippo nodded walked over to where Miroku was, yet again, starting to hit on another woman that made Pamela Anderson's breasts look like mosquito bites.

Inuyasha walked up the dark streets of New York towards his apartment. It was very rare that he was able to walk home, since he mostly drove, but since he had taken a ride with Miroku, he had no choice but to walk. He ran up the brownstone that led to his apartment, keyed into the room and opened the door to home sweet home.

It was a modest apartment, a two bedroom, one bath with free parking and a balcony. What bachelor could ask for more?

He took off his coat and threw his keys on the table near his phone. He went straight into the kitchen and grabbed a soda, popping the tab and taking a sip. As soon as he sat down on his couch, turned on the TV and had gotten comfortable, the phone rang, making him jump and spilling his soda all over him. "Damn. Who would be calling at one in the morning?" He wiped off some of the soda, and got up to answer the phone. "Takahashi."

Inuyasha heard a man clear his throat. "Agent Takahashi, this is Chief Bartlett from Chicago. I've been trying to get a hold of you." Inuyasha gave the phone a puzzled look and put it back to his ear. "Sir, if I may ask, why is that so?" He had never gotten any other cases from police departments, only the FBI. Chief Bartlett went on. "We have a serial case that is pretty gruesome, and the FBI recommended you to help us out."

Inuyasha ran his fingers through his long, silver hair. _'I guess my seven years in the department paid off'. _Inuyasha sat in the chair by the phone. "Alright. I'm listening."

* * *

Kagome had gotten up early the next morning to go and see James at the hospital. The minute she ran into ICU, she saw James's wife Stephanie and three kids sitting in the waiting areas. They got up as soon as they saw Kagome walking towards them. "Stephanie how is he?" Kagome saw the tear streaks that made permanent wrinkles in her face.

"He's been unconscious for a while. But the doctors say that it's to be expected." Kagome looked at the kids, the oldest being 18. She smiled down at them, remembering the cookouts and the movie nights they would all have. "Can I see him Stephanie?" She smiled and nodded, pointing into a room on the left. "Take all the time you need." Kagome smiled at Stephanie, and then walked into the small hospital room. The moment she saw James she froze. He looked so different.

His skin was pale and pasty and his hair looked grayer than the last time she saw it. He was hooked up to so many machines, and the only sounds in the room were the beeping of the heart monitor and respirator. Kagome say in the chair by the bed, and threaded her fingers through his and stared at his face.

"Hey James. It's me." She almost wanted to yell at him and scream that he should have told her, but now it didn't make that much of a difference. All she wanted was for James to open his eyes. "You know, everybody at the station wants you to come back so you can tell your jokes. No matter how corny they are." She laughed through her tears and wiped them away before they spilled over.

"And don't worry. We are going to catch this psycho who's doing this. So all you have to do is get yourself better." Kagome stared into his face, praying with all of her might for him to just open eyes. But nothing happened.

She slowly got up, looking up at the clock, seeing that she had only thirty minutes before she had to be at work. She squeezed his hand one last time. "I'll be back soon. I promise." She walked back into the hallway, said goodbye to Stephanie and the kids and then drove to work.

As soon as she walked through the door, Chief Bartlett was waiting for her. "Kagome, where have you been?" Kagome walked past him towards her office. "I went to go see James at the hospital." Bartlett's face suddenly took on a solemn look. "Oh. How is he?"

Kagome shrugged. "As good as could be expected. He's still unconscious from his surgery." Kagome opened the door to her office and turned on her laptop. "So, what's up chief? Any news?" He laughed nervously. "Well actually, I do have some news to report." She looked at him expectedly. "I've found a new partner for you."

Kagome dropped the water she had been drinking and spit out what was in her mouth all over Bartlett. "What?! ALREADY?"

Bartlett got a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his face. "Yes, and he's waiting in my office right now." Kagome just stared at her supervisor, not believing what she had just heard. "Are you serious?" The chief just nodded. Kagome got the cup up off the floor and cleaned off her desk. She was so upset that her hands were shaking and she dropped the cup twice before actually getting it in the trashcan. When she succeeded she got up, smoothed out her skirt, and followed Bartlett out of her office and down the hall towards his office.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting me a new partner so soon? He's probably some old fart that smells like moth balls and has dentures that pops when he chews." She opened the door of Bartlett's office and came face to face with the exact opposite.

* * *

Well, please review and tell me what you think, and I promise that the next update won't take 3 months this time. Have a great weekend and God bless!

DropofCrimson


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone. Sorry for waiting so long. College is starting and I've been trying to get a job, so just bare with me, and pray for me. This chapter is a little bit longer which I hope makes you happy. So I hope you enjoy and PLEASE review. They mean a lot to me when I get back helpful criticism.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company

* * *

Never Alone

Chapter 4

DropofCrimson

* * *

As soon as Kagome walked into that room, her jaw almost dropped to the floor. Standing in front of her was the most gorgeous guy she had ever laid eyes on. _'He could almost go up against Antonio Bandores…well almost' _

He wore a long, black suite that molded against his muscular frame perfectly with a bright red tie to complete the ensemble. He had very little jewelry, except for a beaded necklace with a single golden ring strung through it.

His long, silver hair was one of the things that stood out to Kagome. It was beautiful, and would have made any girl jealous, including herself. She had the instinct to run her fingers through it just to find out if it was as soft as it looked. But Kagome mentally shook her head. _'Where did that idea come from?'_

She calmly walked up to this gorgeous man, and shook his hand firmly. The moment she looked up into his eyes, she was lost. They were a unique color of hazel, but were more gold than anything else. She almost got to the point of drooling but quickly closed her mouth and gave a bright smile.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi, lead investigator on this case. And you would be?"

He squeezed her hand gently. "I'm Inuyasha Takahashi, lead investigator of the FBI. It's nice to meet you Miss. Higurashi."

Kagome hid her blush well as she let go of his hand. Surprisingly, she was disappointed when the warmth of his hand slowly faded, but she quickly held her hands behind her back to stop herself from fidgeting.

As Kagome turned back to her chief, Inuyasha couldn't help but stare. She was wearing a simple black skirt with a black jacket, and a light green blouse underneath. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, showing off the delicate features of her face. When he had shaken her hand, the feature that had blown him away the most were her eyes, which were a unique blue-grey color. Almost like the sea.

He watched as she smiled at something that Bartlett had said, and smirked a little himself. _'I like her smile'_

He frowned at the thought that had just popped in his head. _'What in the world is wrong with me?'_

But the thing that had shocked him the most was that she had looked like someone; someone who had been very close to his heart.

He closed his eyes for a moment, so no one would be able to see the pain. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned to see a familiar face. "Are you alright Inuyasha?"

Kagome then turned when she heard another male voice inside the room, and stared in shock at a young man that was standing next to Inuyasha. She felt so embarrassed that she hadn't even noticed that there had been someone else in the room, and blushed when she thought of the reason why.

The young man was tall with a muscular build. He also had a black suite with a purple shirt underneath, and had jet black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His violet eyes were very bright as he gazed at Kagome.

Kagome walked over and firmly shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Kagome Higurashi, and you are?"

He gave a natural smile, and held on to her hand. "Good morning my lady, my name is Miroku Hoshi. And may I say that I am honored to be in the presence of such an elegant beauty." He kissed her hand gently. She blushed furiously and tried to take her hand back. Unfortunately, Miroku had other plans and kept talking.

"I am also an investigator of the FBI, but my specialty is being a medical examiner. I enjoy…examining things thoroughly." With that said he brought her closer to him, while Kagome still tried to pull out of his grasp.

"Well sir, I'm very happy for you…" She felt a small pressure crawling up her leg very slowly. "…but if you would still like to have children in the very near future I would suggest that you kindly remove your hand from my leg."

Miroku laughed nervously, and finally released her. Inuyasha and Bartlett were just trying to keep from busting out laughing. Kagome glared at them both, and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Bartlett's desk.

Everyone else followed suite, while Bartlett sat down in his black leather swivel chair. "Well, now that everyone is acquainted, let's get down to business."

Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, with Miroku on her other side. She noticed that Miroku was staring at her, and scooted as far away as she could between the two chairs. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

"In all my years on the force, this has been the worst case I have ever been on. It just goes to show that there can be some sick people out there in the world.

"Now I only briefed Inuyasha and Miroku on the basics, so you Kagome will have to go through the cases step by step. Show them everything you know about them and then some."

Kagome nodded her head in agreement. They went through some more logistics and such, and then Kagome escorted them both to her office.

On the way down the hall, Miroku was making himself useful by hitting on every woman in sight distance; Inuyasha and Kagome just ignored him as they made their way towards the office door. Before they walked in, they heard a loud smack that reverberated against the walls, and made everyone in the room look up from their work. Kagome and Inuyasha poked their head out of the door to see a very large women leaning over an unconscious Miroku.

Kagome and Inuyasha just walked back in the office, trying very hard to ignore the looks they were receiving.

Kagome walked behind her desk and pulled out the files on the murder case. Inuyasha sat in the chair in front of her and looked around her office.

The first thing he noticed was the large picture of Jesus that was facing him; it puzzled him for a minute. "Aren't you of Japanese descent?" Kagome looked up and gave him a 'what do you think' look. "Yes, what of it?" Inuyasha glanced up at the picture of Jesus, and Kagome understood. "Oh. I am of Japanese descent, but I don't follow my ancestor's religion." She looked up at the picture, and look of peace came over her face. Inuyasha just sat in amazement. _'She really believes in that stuff'. _

She looked back up at him. "What about you and your beliefs? Is there anything special you practice?" He just gave her an icy glare and didn't answer her. She was surprised at the sudden mood change, wondering what she had said to set him off, but didn't push him any further. "Sorry I asked."

Inuyasha just stared out the small window, ignoring her as much as he could. She had hit a nerve and she knew it. _'Hopefully he will open up to me since he is going to be my new partner.'_

That brought on a whole range of emotions when she thought of James lying in the hospital bed, pale and sick. Kagome's eyes filled with tears, almost spilling from her eyes, until she saw Inuyasha looking at her. She quickly wiped them away. "Hey, what's wrong with you wench?"

"Nothing. I just… WHAT did you call me?" She got up from her chair and stared him down.

He didn't like it that she was standing over him, so he stood up to his full height, which was about a whole two feet taller then Kagome

"I called you a wench. Can't you hear right or are you just that stupid?" He winced inwardly, not wanting it to come out that harsh, but he was sill raw from what she asked, even though he knew it wasn't her fault.

She stared at him in shock. "How dare you! You don't even know me and you come out and say I'm stupid, you jackass!" She never liked cursing at all, in fact hardly ever did it. But when someone she hardly even knew said something like that to her, her bad habits came out.

Inuyasha and Kagome stared each other down, both fuming inches from each other's noses, when Miroku finally walked in holding his head in his hand. He didn't notice the tension in the air that could have been cut with a knife.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are getting to know each other better."

* * *

In a dark room in downtown Chicago, three men talk quietly in secret. The leader of the pack is sitting at the head of the small table, while the other two are on either side of him. 

"So, both crimes are clean right?" The two men both nodded. "No fingerprints, no footprints, no leads. The cops are on their toes with this case."

The leader smiled a sinister sneer that left the other two in the room to cringe. "Good, because I have another one for you."

He laughed darkly, and told his crew the new target.

* * *

Miroku sighed as he watched the two investigators have a shouting match, yet again. "WELL I THINK IT'S A CULT OPERATION!" Kagome shouted as hard as she could. Inuyasha was ready for a comeback. "WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW WOMAN? YOU WOULDN'T KNOW A PIECE OF EVADENCE IF IT HIT YOU IN THE FACE!!" 

Kagome and Inuyasha stared each other down until Kagome surrendered by pushing him hard into the wall. "You have no right to come in here and insult me this way." Inuyasha glared at the seething women, trying to keep his own temper in check. He sat down in the chair across from Miroku.

"All I know wench, is that we need to check with the Pendragon and see how these two girls are connected." Kagome rolled her eyes and gave him a sarcastic look. "Well what do you think I have been trying to tell you for the past six hours, genius?"

Inuyasha made the move to get up when Miroku got between the two. "Alright that's it. I have had enough of the two of you trying to kill each other, in front of me no less. We know what we need to know about the two cases, so why don't we go to the Pendragon and get some answers."

Kagome looked down in shame knowing he was right, while Inuyasha just folded his arms and grunted in approval. Kagome looked at the clock, and saw that it was almost seven, noticing also that it was still light outside and wouldn't get dark until about eight. She sighed. They would have to wait until later since the Pendragon was strictly night club. "We have to wait until night fall."

Inuyasha glared at her. "Why can't we just bust into the place with a search warrant?" Kagome ignored him and walked past him towards Miroku. "We don't have enough to GET a search warrant because all we have is that both of these girls worked at the club. Do we have to go back through the rule book for you Inuyasha?"

He actually tried to hold his tongue. Well, at least he tried.

"Listen you selfish little bitc-"

Kagome took her purse and whacked it up against his head, sending him falling to the floor. He held his face in his hands, surprise and shock still running through his body.

Kagome stood their fuming. Nobody had ever talked to her like that, except hardened criminals that she had to book. That was what he was acting like, a hardened criminal

She grabbed her stuff and stalked out of her own office, ignoring the yells of Miroku telling her to come back. She ran out to her car and backed out of the station. Tears started filling her eyes out of frustration. That was one of the most embarrassing things about her; she cried when she was mad or frustrated.

She didn't know where she was going, just letting the familiar streets lead her to her destination. Surprisingly, she ended up at the hospital. She looked up in her rearview mirror and saw her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy, making little splotchy spots on her cheekbones. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She sat in her car, and breathed slowly, the redness finally going away from her face. Her eyes were not as red as they were, and were sparkling from unshed tears. She grabbed her purse and keys and walked over to the emergency room door.

She made her way towards the ICU room, asking the nurses at the station if she would be able to visit James for a little while. "Sure dear, he's in that room over there." Kagome looked nervously at the nurse. "How is his condition so far?" The nurse looked discouraged for a minute. "He is still in a rather bad situation right now, but he did wake up today. He's been nodding off and on for a few hours now, so you should be able to talk to him if he's awake."

Kagome smiled at the nurse, and walked towards the observation room. She slid back the curtain to reveal James' pale, broken body lying there on the crisp linen sheets of the hospital bed. He was asleep, and she noticed that his fists were closed, tightly holding the sheets. His face was contorted in pain, and he was sweating. Kagome wished that she could make his pain go away, and the only way she knew how to help was to pray.

She sat in the chair that was by the side of the bed and bowed her head. "Most gracious heavenly Father God, I pray that you put Your hand on James, and I lift up his pain to You. Lay Your heavenly protection over him and watch him and protect him for all his days. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

She slowly opened her eyes, and felt like a burden was lifted off of her shoulders. She grabbed James's hand and squeezed. She knew that this was far from over, and all Kagome wanted to do was let James know that she was there and she would never leave his side.

Kagome suddenly got the feeling that she was being watched, and turned around to find the one person she did not want to see at that moment.

"Oh no, what do you want Takahashi?" He stepped into the room and took a chair beside her. "Bartlett said that I might find you here." She stared at him in confusion, but then turned to look back at James. Inuyasha saw her squeeze his hand.

"Bartlett never told me why he needed me on this case. But now looking at your partner I have my answer." Kagome nodded and squeezed James's hand harder. "He means a lot to you doesn't he?"

Kagome slowly nodded her head yes. "He was the one who brought me under his wing when I first became an investigator. He was like a father to me." Tears swam in her eyes, threatening to spill. "I don't know what I would do without him. I don't think I would be able to go through it again."

Inuyasha sat there in silence and listened to the woman's story. He didn't miss it when she said 'again'. He would have to ask her about it later.

He laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder, and rubbed her back soothingly. He knew what it was like to lose someone who was very important to you.

She turned around and suddenly the emotions that had gone through her the last couple of days came out. She started sobbing, and she grabbed onto Inuyasha for dear life.

He looked down at the girl in shock, but then hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. All he wanted to do at that moment, for some reason, was comfort this girl. He started to rub her back again in soothing circles as she cried in his arms.

* * *

_'Something's…different.' _

Kagome was drifting between the world of dreams and reality. All she could think of at that moment was that she was very warm and comfortable and she didn't want to move. But this thing that she was laying on was moving…and had a heart beat.

She slowly opened her eyes to literally come face to face with a dozing Inuyasha. She jumped off him like she had been burnt, knocking him off the chair in the process. His eyes were wide as he looked around to find an angry Kagome. This was not good.

"What do you think you were doing pervert?" Inuyasha quickly got over his shock as anger came over him.

"Hey, you're the one who fell asleep on me wench, not the other way around. Bartlett was the one who sent me to come and get you in the first place."

Kagome glared at him, until she remembered what she had done before she had fallen asleep. She blushed and looked away for a moment.

"Umm, I'm sorry about crying. I've just…been under a lot of stress." Inuyasha softened his expression and got up from the floor. "Feh, don't worry about it."

She smirked and grabbed her purse. She looked up at the clock, noticing that they had stayed there for about an hour. _'You would think the nurses would say something about out little scene.' _She looked back at James and squeezed his hand one last time before walking out, Inuyasha behind her.

When they walked out of the hospital entrance, Kagome saw Miroku smoking a cigarette outside. He blew the smoke out of his mouth and threw it on the ground, crushing it with his foot. "Well, it took you guys long enough. What were you doing in there?"

Kagome and Inuyasha both blushed. Miroku gave a knowing smile. "Ah, kiss and make up?"

Inuyasha knocked him to the ground before he could say anything else. "No you slimy little pervert. We were just…talking." Miroku got up and didn't say anything more, but his face had a smug smirk that would not go away.

Kagome walked back to her car. "Let's go to the Pendragon and see if we can get anything." Miroku and Inuyasha both nodded and got into the police cruiser and followed her out of the hospital.

Miroku stared at Inuyasha, who just ignored him and watched the road. "You know, she does look a lot like-"

"Save it. Don't you think I know that by now? The moment I saw her…that's who I thought of." He glared out the windshield as he watched Kagome in front of him put her blinker on.

"It was a long time ago Miroku…but it still feels like it was yesterday." Miroku saw the emotions play across his face, and nodded.

It wasn't long before they turned into the parking lot of the Pendragon. They parked the cars and got out, walking towards the entrance as Kagome started setting the game plan. "Now, we don't need to go in gun's blazing and flashing our badges. We need to just-"

"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job, woman. If anything, I should be telling YOU what to do."

Kagome stared at him, her body shaking from anger. _'One of thes__e days I'm going to ram a parking cone __so far up his butt he won't know what hit him'_ She walked up to him and glared a glare so icy that if looks could kill he would be more than six feet under. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, moron?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Exactly what it means, wench. If you can't understand that's your problem. Now if you would excuse me, I have a case to solve."

He walked calmly towards the double doors with Miroku in tow, while Kagome marched angrily behind them.

After Kagome glared at the back of Inuyasha's head for a full minute, she looked up and finally noticed the size of the club. It was a tall, two story building with a staircase on the side that led to an entrance in a corner of the building; another entrance was opposite the double doors on the other side.

Brilliant, blue lights shined from the windows that wrapped around the whole building, while people chatted and laughed on the balcony overlooking the city lights.

Inuyasha opened the door for himself and Miroku, but when Kagome was about to take a step inside he swung the door shut, nearly slamming the door into her face. She caught the door with her hand, glaring at the man who was supposed to be her partner as he made his way up the spiral staircase in front of them. She fumed silently and grumbled under her breath as she followed the two up the stairs towards the main dance hall.

The club was just starting to fill up; many of the regulars at the club where already there getting first dibs on the drinks at the bar. A red-headed bar tender was serving a few men a couple of beers. She spotted Kagome and nodded with a smile. Kagome nodded back, and made her way towards the bar.

The music was pumping loudly from the speakers that were all around the large room, the base making the floor vibrate with energy. People from all around the room started to make their way towards the dance floor, grabbing their partners and moving to the rhythm of the music. Miroku was enjoying the view…the view being the many female bodies in the room that were gyrating all over the place. _'Life is good,' _He thought.

Inuyasha watched Miroku with his usual stern look, but later moved his eyes around the room until he spotted Kagome talking with a red-headed bar tender. He frowned and started to move toward the two females, leaving Miroku to do his own detective work: searching for as many phone numbers from the opposite sex as possible.

Kagome sat on the red bar stool and looked over at the bar keeper. She was young, maybe 21 or 22, and was cleaning a few glasses to get ready for the next round of drinks to come her way. Kagome waved her over, and the girl set down the glasses and quickly walked over to where Kagome was sitting.

"Hi. What can I get ya?" Kagome smiled and shook her head. "No thanks I don't drink, but I do think that you would be able to get me some information." She took out her badge and placed it on the bar. Recognition dawned in the young girl's eyes. She slowly set down the rag she had been using and leaned both of her hands against the bar and stared right into Kagome's eyes.

"So, you're here to talk about Naraku."

* * *

Well, I am so sorry again for keeping you guys waiting. So many things have been happening. But I will try to keep the chapters up at a regular pace now that I have a schedule going. Please review, your advice and criticism means a lot to me. Have a great week, and God bless! 

DropofCrimson


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